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An industrial paper shredder is different than the smaller equivalents that feature a slot feeder on the top. The larger units are designed with a conveyor system that feeds refuse into a series of cutting heads. Piles of refuse can be placed on this conveyor and fed into the machine at a rage of several pounds, or even tons, per hour. Processing volume depends upon the size of the unit. It also depends on the number of cutter heads that the unit operates. Larger units can shred plastic and other hard materials in addition to old documents.
An industrial paper shredder can save a business thousands of dollars on document destruction services. While many smaller businesses use these services because they are convenient, mid-size and large operations can better serve themselves by investing in a machine with a suitable capacity for their document control requirements. Over time, the machine will pay for itself. Operating costs then typically become a matter of a few cents worth of electricity and the labor costs of one employee trained to operate the machine. Any company that has at least 500 pounds of documents to destroy weekly will recover their investment and improve their bottom line by purchasing their own unit.
Each industrial paper shredder performs according to size and model type. Depending on the capacity and design of any particular machine, it can process anywhere from 750 pounds to 2 tons of paper per hour. To put this capacity into perspective, it helps to visualize these quantities with a standard frame of reference. 750 pounds is about the same as 15 file boxes full of paper. Since a box of this size normally weighs around 50 pounds when full, a ton would be equivalent to 45 large sized boxes.
In terms of pounds per hour, various units can destroy anywhere between 750 pounds to 2,250 pounds of documents per hour. When analyzed from a document management perspective familiar to office managers, 750 pounds is the equivalent of 15 boxes weighing 50 pounds each. 2,250 pounds amounts to approximately 45 larger document boxes.
Another factor to look at when considering each type of industrial paper shredder is the feed opening. Feed openings of 16-17 inches can handle stacks of 43 to 100 sheets at a time. Many feature a hopper type design that allows them to shred up to 2 tons of paper in one day.
As noted earlier, many of these machines can be used to destroy other materials in addition to documents. The cutting abilities of a unit depend largely on the number of shafts it contains.
Single shaft units are made to cut through very thick materials such as old technical manuals, phone books, plastics and even polymer pipes.
Two shaft machines have hooks to hold materials in place, while counter rotating shafts cut it to pieces. Machines like this are often used in a machine shop controlled by a PLC operated by a single user, electronic interface.
Shops that require a continuously operating unit may want to consider an industrial paper shredder that has four shafts. These units also utilize hooks and counter-rotating shafts. Due to their more complex design, though, they can be used to destroy anything ranging from cardboard packing, bottles, documents, old furniture, tarps, leather, and cloth rags. These are ideal for warehouse operations that process high volumes of products packaged in different types of materials that need to be quickly disposed of.
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